The dire and daunting situation of chronic, sidewalk encampment homelessness has dangerously approached, if not achieved, its peak causing frustration, fear, and madness among tax paying residents, business proprietors and property owners, as well as a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” demoralizing effect on law enforcement officers.

This sentiment seems to have begun escalating rapidly, along with the numbers of homeless individuals and complexities that accompany their homelessness, since September 2015 when you and the City Council felt compelled to rightly, morally and courageously declare homelessness a state of EMERGENCY. The impact of that was fortunately followed by the passage of Measure HHH (November 2016) and Measure H (March 2017).

Mayor Garcetti, you, along with the City of Los Angeles, must appoint a leader to head the charge – an individual who not only intrinsically understands this dilemma but has also formulated a plan to address it once and for all. We propose that this mission be tasked to the long time, legendary civil rights and ‘resolve homelessness’ activist, Theodore “Ted” Hayes. Ted possesses the necessary knowledge, compassion and understanding via his first hand, voluntary experiences accumulated over the last 34 years – the first eight of which he spent dwelling among our city’s homeless on the sidewalks of Central City East district, also know as Skid Row.

No other activist today in Los Angeles, or anywhere throughout the nation that we are aware of, has such an impeccable record of service to the public regarding the matter of homelessness.

As an example of Ted’s ability and uncanny foresight, in 1999, from his landmark Dome Village (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dome_Village ), he and his staff – along with the office of then LA City Attorney, James K. Hahn – managed to forge a prophetic and non-legally binding document that precisely addresses the present situation, even making sound suggestions for resolution including calling for US Presidential intervention.

That document became known as the JSAP (Joint Statement and Action Plan of the Law Enforcement Working Group – http://www.tedhayes.us/domevillage/JSAP.pdf ). You will note that your father, the Honorable Gil Garcetti – who was LA District Attorney at the time – worked on the JSAP and became one of its signatories endorsing Ted’s national plan to end homelessness by Presidential fiat.

Special note: In Los Angeles city and county, black citizens only make up approximately 8% and 9% of the general population, respectively, yet they comprise a whopping 40% of the homeless population. In downtown LA, from the hotels, SROs, shelters and missions to automobiles, abandoned buildings, vacant lots and sidewalks, nearly 90% of the homeless are BLACK MEN followed by BLACK WOMEN and their CHILDREN, with the remainder being a minority assortment of others.

Seeing as Ted is also a black citizen; that he is a mature and wise 67 years of age; that he has no criminal record other than acts of civil disobedience in the name of the cause; nor is he a public meeting disrupter – in addition to him being the only activist with a broad, sweeping comprehensive plan beginning with LA, whose success will become the basis for the national and global models – wouldn’t you agree he has both developed the credibility and earned the opportunity to tackle this?

Please take a look at these brief videos portraying Ted’s conciliatory nature, non-protesting spirit and demonstration of a loving win-win-win cooperation with and between all concerned i.e. 1) government officials 2) residents, merchants, property owners, etc and 3) the homeless themselves.

We strongly urge and encourage you to appoint Mr. Hayes to this office RIGHT NOW – without government pay, because we will care for him and his family – so that he may immediately begin to properly assist you with keeping your promises to us concerning our city’s homelessness.

We contend without a doubt that Ted is the most qualified activist for this non-government paying position and that he will be a huge asset to you and all concerned, especially the homeless of Los Angeles. Wouldn’t you agree that we must give Ted and his 30 plus year old plan a fair shot when we’ve heard nothing better and seen nothing work in all this time?

Again, Mayor Garcetti, we humbly request an audience with you to discuss this matter in much further detail. Ideally, and if you wish, this meeting should and will include Mr. Hayes.

After 34 years of true commitment, given the circumstances that the entire city and region finds itself in, it only makes sense to get Ted Hayes and his lifetime of homelessness experience deeply involved.

We eagerly look forward to meeting with you.

Thanks and blessings for your cooperation and compliance with the will of “We the People”.